Shoulder bolster and lingerie support



Aug. 31, 1948. A. E. FARRELL 2,448,141

. SHOULDER BOLSTER AND LINGERIE SUPPORT Filed Sept. 4, 1946 :Fi g 4' Smaentor ANNA E.E4RRELL m4(/G-/" '(Ittorneg Patented Aug. 31, 1948 umrso STATES SHOULDER IBOLSTER AND LINGERIE SUPPORT I AnnazEs Farrell, Seattle, Wash: 1

Application September 4, 1946, Serial No.,694,689"

2 Claims. (Cl. 2268) This invention relates to shoulder bolsters and lingerie supports.

In modern tailoring and dressmaking it is important-to elevate and space the shoulders of garments above the -shoulders of the wearers,

andvariousformsoi pads have been used for that purpose. Butthesehavebeen heavy or diilicult to retain in suitable positions and ordinarily must be sewed to the garments, and are then removed with considerable difllculty when the garment is to be cleaned separately or when the pads are to be changed to other garments.

It is also customary for women to use narrow straps or ribbons across their shoulders for supporting various forms of lingerie. But these straps frequently slide from proper positions or from the edges of the shoulders and so permit lingerie to sag or fall, unless the wearer frequently reaches beneath her clothing to reposition such straps and supports.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a form of bolster for elevating the shoulders of garments above the shoulders of the wearers, which is light in weight and easily adjusted in height and easily connected and disconnected with the clothing and which will simultaneously maintain the straps for lingerie in suitable positions across the shoulders.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter stated I have illustratively exemplified my invention by the accompanying drawings of which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the bolster with adjustable laces in position for elevating the crown of the bolster and for retaining lingerie straps in position on the shoulders,

Figure 2 is a front or end elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of one of the side wings of the bolster with a section of a garment caught by a safety pin for adjustable connection with the bolster,

Figure 4 is a similar side view showing the garment disposed over the bolster with the safety pin connecting same therewith,

Figure 5 is an artistic pictorial view of a human bust with the pad in position thereon and straps supporting a brassiere sustained in position by laces carried by the pad or bolster.

Like characters on the different figures represent like parts. The letter A indicates generally a sheet of plastic or other suitable flexible material curved in concave form for a bolster. The letter B indicates laces of any suitable material for adjusting the side wings of the cone to conform with the widths of the shoulders of the I in desirable position-s wearers and for determining theelevationof' such crowns above the shoulders of the --wearers in spaced relation therefrom'whereby the shoulders of -thegarmentsC thereover' will be sustained above the body. y

The material for the bolstersispref-erably cut from flat sheets of-flexible transparent plastic or other suitable 1 material in: substantially triangu lar shape to provide the outline for a semi-cone when the edges are drawn together. Pairs of eyelets 6-8 along the crown of the cone provide passageways for safety pins D for connecting the garment and bolster together. Additional eyelets 1 may also be provided for similarly connecting over the sides of the bolster, when and if desired.

At spaced positions between the lower edges of the cone and the crown thereof are pairs of eyelets indicated as 8-8 for laces B which are threaded therethrough for adjusting the shape of the cone and bolster to raise the crown a desired height above the cross laces as 9' which normally rest upon the body or shoulder of the wearer. The two ends of the laces l0 and II are maintained underneath or inside of the shell of the cone but a loop 9 is extended between the eyelets 8 on the outside for fulcrums for drawing the sides inward, such sides or wings of the cone being indicated by l2 and ii! over which the short loops 9 are unnoticeable on outside of the garments, and may be colored to match the latter.

The apex of the cone is scalloped to provide a tongue M which is extended as a fulcrum to support a loop l5 of the laces which is carried back from their crossed positions 9 and preferably a part thereof. In use when assembling the bolster upon the shoulder of the wearer this loop l5 is carried beneath the usual strap l6 commonly used for supporting brassieres H or other lingerie of the wearer and then hooked over the tongue whereby the straps IE will be effectually prevented from sliding out from beyond the position of the cross laces 9'.

In order to connect the bolster to the garment C relatively small ordinary safety pins D are engaged through a section l8 of the garment and then threaded lengthwise through the eyelets 6, then turned longitudinally underneath or inside the crown whereby the sections l8 of the garment caught through the pins are securely held in suitable position over the bolsters and the sections l8 being short depressions are unnoticeable to observers. When the bolsters are to be separated from the garments such pins are easily disconnected. for such purposes.

in order to prevent the outer edge of the shoultier of the garment as I9 from hanging down at right angles from the outer edge or base of the cone vertically, the outer edge of the cone is curved outward and downward to provide a slopih'g edge 20 or flange over which the garment may be draped in a graceful natural curve.

In use the material of the cone when transparent may be worn under thin fabrics or laces and remain invisible to the ordinary observer. Again in some cases it may be preferable to adopt material for the cone to correspond in color with the given garment.

While I have shown and described for illustration definite structure yet I do not limit my invention thereto, but desire to cover broadly similar or other relative forms and structure.

Having described my invention, I claim as new for Letters Patent:

1. A device for supporting outside garments, and inside lingerie over shoulders, comprising an elongated bolster with concave surface along the underside and convex along the top ridge, a tongue of relatively narrow width extended from the inner apex of the bolster, a loop of flexible material attached to the lower side of the bolster adjacent its outer end and extending inward therefrom a, sufficient length for passing beneath shoulder straps of lingerie under the bolster and adapted to be hooked over said tongue to prevent such straps from sliding off the outer edge of the human shoulder beneath the bolster, the central longitudinaI ridge of the bolster being provided with eyelets therethrough of relative size for passage therethrough of relatively small loops of the outer garments and a safety pin lengthwise, for retaining such garment in predetermined position over the bolster when the safety pin is turned crosswise beneath the bolster.

2. Structure described in claim 1, with the outer upper edge of the bolster being curved outward and downward from the top, for supporting a garment thereover in sloping relation with the shoulder of the wearer beneath the same.

ANNA E. FARRELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

v UNITED STATES PATENTS N umber 

